Asti(g)

One of the most amazing meals I had on my recent trip to San Diego was also a simple one. As we were looking for a place to eat in the historic Gaslamp District, we chanced upon a little place called Asti. I’m not even sure why we chose this place from the plethora of establishments in the area but when I saw that it had a Zagat Rating, I knew we wouldn’t be disappointed.

He had a lively waiter whom we asked to order for us and here’s what he recommended…

We started with a very typical appetizer of parma ham, (super) fresh buffala, tomatoes and basil.

The freshness of it all made the difference. I all but licked my plate clean.

Second course was a cheese stuffed ravioli with gorgonzola sauce…

The sauce was anything but overpowering. The sharpness of the gorgonzola was oh so subtle, in fact, I wouldn’t have minded if they threw in a few more chunks of gorgo so I could taste more tang. But don’t get me wrong this was really good.

Our main entree was lamb…

This was a star! The meat didn’t have a trace of gaminess and the sauce was amazing… with so many layers of taste. I felt like I had to swish it around my mouth like wine to get all the “notes”. All of Asti’s sauces and stocks are homemade using all natural ingredients (walang cubes!) and that makes all the difference.

It’s interesting to note that Asti is not owned by an Italian nor of someone of Italian descent. The proprietor is a Middle Eastern guy who just loves Italian cuisine and made sure he hired some damn good chefs.

On to dessert. They presented us with a tray loaded with over half a dozen choices but the waiter really pushed for the apple turnover with caramel, walnuts and ice cream…

While I would have chosen a chocolate something to end my meal, this dessert was beyond satisfying. I think it was the caramel that really did the trick and had us digging and digging into the plate till the whole damn pastry was gone.

Then we capped it off with a leisurely stroll back to our hotel (another blog in itself) just a few blocks away. And on the way there we passed by this place…

…which was one of Wyatt Earp’s gambling parlors and whore houses. Gotta love the Gaslamp.

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2 Responses to "Asti(g)"

Thank god for traffic! Without it, you wouldn’t be updating me and our 7 readers in kiki and lala land.

I woke up this morning still full from last night’s dinner. But when I read this post, it made me hungry again! I wanna try the gorgo raviolo. Looks rich and yummy. Love the hotel you stayed in. Tell me all about it!